Senior officer claims he was subject of secret vetting

A senior garda claimed former Policing Authority chair Josephine Feehily used her ex-garda relative to secretly vet him for promotion.

Chief superintendent Pat Murray made the claims, which are denied by Feehily, in a 2019 statement to the Disclosures Tribunal obtained by The Ditch. Murray said at the time he was passed over for promotion with no “reason for that decision” and that this followed what he considered secret background checks.

Feehily, who chairs the Technological University Shannon governing body, was appointed last year as a member of the Defence Forces' External Oversight Body by Tánaiste Micheál Martin. She denied the allegations during the tribunal.

‘Clandestine phone call’

Athlone-based superintendent Pat Murray applied to the Policing Authority for promotion to chief superintendent in March 2017.

In February and March 2019, Murray, since promoted to chief superintendent, gave two written statements to the Disclosures Tribunal, which had been established after the Maurice McCabe scandal.

Murray claimed that then chair of the Policing Authority Josephine Feehily had used her ex-garda brother-in-law, Johnny Feehily, to secretly vet him for promotion.

He said this happened because a garda whistleblower, Fergal Greene, who was sympathetic to Murray, had used his connection to Johnny Feehily to bring matters about Athlone garda station to the attention of the Policing Authority chair.

At the time of Murray’s application, Athlone station was subject of claims of garda criminality, which have resurfaced after recent reports on The Ditch.

“I believe garda Greene and the chair of the Policing Authority's in-laws are neighbours in an area outside Ballinasloe. Garda Greene used that connection to make contact at some stage with the Policing Authority about things that occurred in Athlone prior to my arrival that personally affected him. I haven't discussed in any great detail with garda Greene when he first contacted the Policing Authority but I do recall him mentioning some

interaction at the Galway Races in either 2016 or 2017,” wrote Murray in his statement to the tribunal on31 March, 2019.

Murray was “passed over for promotion on 31 October 2017” and the Policing Authority “would not give (him) a reason for that decision”, according to his statement. He claimed that at this point Feehily’s brother-in-law started conducting off-the-record enquiries.

“Garda Greene called to me on 1 November, 2017 and told me he got a clandestine phone call from Josephine Feehily's brother-in-law, a retired garda, to ask him to send in a document to the Policing Authority immediately and to make reference to me in it,” Murray claimed.

“He said Johnny Feehily, on behalf of Josephine, asked him to send in the document… Garda Greene said Johnny Feehily instructed him to include how things in Athlone were now and whether any bullying was going on, and if the place was running well. Garda Greene said some of the request relates to my promotion and Josephine Feehily needed to make enquiries to ensure she was on sure ground promoting me,” said Murray.

'He told me he had sent a document the day before'

Murray claims that three days later he was contacted again by garda Fergal Greene.

“I received a phone call on 4 November, 2017 from… garda Greene. He told me he had sent a document the day before to Josephine Fehily by registered post… as he had been required to do by Johnny Feehily,” he said.

Murray’s prior statement to the tribunal dated 16, February, 2019 detailed further claims of secret background checks.

“On 11 December 2017 at approximately 3.30pm garda Fergal Green called to my office and informed me he met with Ms. Josephine Feehily's brother-in-law on Saturday 2 December, 2017 for about 35 minutes in Gillane's Hotel Ballinasloe,” Murray claimed.

“Garda Green informed me Ms Feehily's brother-in-law discussed my possible promotion with him and informed him the Policing Authority were nervous as government had issued them instructions that they wanted no more garda controversies. Garda Green also informed me Ms Feehily's brother-in-law told him he had made a lot of background enquiries about me for the Policing Authority but could not find anything adverse against me,” he added.

Murray was promoted to chief superintendent the following month. He retired from An Garda Síochána in November 2023 after 41 years in the job.

Josephine Feehily remained chair of the Policing Authority till 2019 when her term of office ended.

Both Josephine Feehily and garda Fergal Greene strenuously denied Murray’s claims in their statements to the Disclosures Tribunal.

The Policing Authority declined to comment.